Milan's Striker Dilemma: Is Sorloth the Right Choice?

Aldo Serena is not convinced. Not by the rumours, not by the numbers, and certainly not by what he saw at the Emirates.

As talk grows louder of Milan moving for Atletico Madrid striker Alexander Sorloth, the former Rossoneri, Inter and Juventus forward cut through the optimism with a simple, pointed question on social media: “Milan, are we sure?”

One missed chance, one big doubt

On Tuesday night, Atletico Madrid were chasing the game against Arsenal, 1-0 down and running out of ideas. Sorloth came on in the second half, tasked with rescuing something from a tight match. The chance arrived: the ball broke for him inside Arsenal’s penalty area, the kind of situation a centre-forward dreams about.

He mishit it. The opportunity vanished.

For most strikers, it would be a forgettable moment in a long season. For Serena, watching with Milan’s reported interest in mind, it became a symbol. Soon after, he posted a picture of Sorloth on X, adding that sharp, almost sarcastic message aimed straight at his old club’s transfer department.

The implication was clear: if this is the man chosen to solve Milan’s problems up front, they might be asking the wrong question.

Milan’s Plan B up front

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sorloth has climbed to the top of Milan’s attacking shortlist for the 2026-27 season. Not because he is the dream signing, but because the dream has become too expensive.

Dusan Vlahovic and Robert Lewandowski, long admired and long discussed, carry wage demands that stretch well beyond Milan’s current limits. With those options drifting away, the Norwegian has emerged as the more realistic path.

Gazzetta reports that Sorloth has already given his approval to the move. From the player’s side, the green light is on. The obstacle now lies in Madrid, where Atletico still hold his contract until June 2028 and have yet to find common ground with the Serie A club on a fee.

So Milan wait. And as they wait, the debate grows.

Numbers vs. perception

On paper, Sorloth’s season is not one to dismiss lightly. Nineteen goals in 50 appearances for Atletico Madrid is a respectable return for a 30-year-old forward operating in a demanding system, in a demanding league, under a demanding coach.

Those numbers suggest reliability, a striker who can chip in across all competitions and carry his share of the attacking weight. For a club searching for a focal point, that has value.

But transfer markets are rarely decided on numbers alone. They are shaped by impressions, by moments that stick. For many Milanisti who saw that miss against Arsenal, and for a former No. 9 like Serena, the image of Sorloth miscuing in the box jars with the idea of a decisive, ruthless leader of the line at San Siro.

Serena’s post distilled that unease into four words. Doubt, broadcast in real time.

A pivotal call for Milan

This is where Milan find themselves: between the financial reality that pushes them away from the elite wage bracket, and the sporting ambition that demands a striker capable of carrying a Scudetto and Champions League challenge.

Sorloth is available, willing, and productive. He is also 30, under contract until 2028, and now walking into a conversation framed by a club legend’s public scepticism.

Milan must decide whether those 19 goals outweigh that nagging question: “Are we sure?”